Putao-based resistance forces claimed to have successfully eliminated the entire Junta's 137th Light Infantry Battalion, en route to reinforce the 46th Infantry Battalion stationed in Sumprabum Township, Putao District, Kachin State.

On May 18, resistance forces ambushed the advancing 137th Light Infantry Battalion, which was on its way to reinforce the 46th Infantry Battalion that had already been defeated on May 5, in Putao.

The 137th Light Infantry Battalion, which was based in Machanbaw town, was decimated by resistance forces on its way to Sumprabum for reinforcements.According to a member of Putao-PDF, the 137th battalion commander was captured alive nut succumbed to injuries sustained in the battle the following day.

"The battalion commander was badly injured, with one leg broken and bleeding heavily. Despite our best efforts to treat him with all the resources we had, his injuries proved too severe, and he passed away the following day", he said.

He added that over 10 soldiers from the 137th Light Infantry Battalion were captured, with many others killed. "We are holding the captured Junta soldiers as prisoners of war (PoWs) under the Geneva Convention. Some from the 46th Infantry Battalion including the battalion commander, are still on the run", an official from the local resistance forces said.

The Kachin Independence Army (KIA), Kagabu People's Force (KPF), and PDF had initiated an attack on the 46th Infantry Battalion in Sumprabum on March 14, seizing its headquarters by May 5. In a separate offensive on March 8, the KIA captured over 100 Junta bases, outposts, and encampments of different scales.

Currently, over 100 Junta troops have been relocated to Sumprabum, prompting local resistance forces to caution against potential escalation of military tensions.